I flew from Bristol to Newcastle and back yesterday and was impressed with the departure area at NCL. Plenty of space and a decent selection of refreshment areas airside.
The easyJet NCL-BRS route seems to be a real winner. Is there another one between two English provincial cities with so many pax?
I flew up on the first flight of the day and returned on the last. There were few unoccupied seats both ways and this on a Tuesday in January.
The latest available CAA stats for domestic routes are those for October and show over 21,500 people flew the route that month, an average load in the very high 120s (or around 87% of the 737-700's seating capacity).
Out of interest I tested the booking site for the rest of the week and found that for tomorrow on the BRS-NCL sector only the early (0835) flight is available, presumably the two later north-bound flights already being sold out. On Friday the early flight appears to be sold out. This is an assumption I admit, but why otherwise would they be not available to book?
I have to commend the cabin staff on both sectors yesterday for their cheerful and friendly efficiency on such short flights. I had my morning tea and muffin without any feeling of being rushed. Check-in and boarding at both ends were simplicity itself and very civilised. No-one appeared to try to jump the priority boarding queue system either.
Well done to everyone and long may it continue.